Democrats Investigate Whether Trump Sold Pardons to the Highest Bidder

Democrats in Congress are sounding the alarm over what looks increasingly like a corrupt pay-to-play scheme behind Donald Trump’s pardons. Representatives Dave Min and Raul Ruiz, along with Senator Peter Welch, have launched an investigation by sending letters to more than a dozen individuals who received pardons or clemency from Trump. The lawmakers want to know if these pardons were secured through “intermediaries, financial contributions, or other forms of influence.”

This probe targets a glaring pattern: Trump’s pardons overwhelmingly benefited his allies and financial criminals, many of whom owed millions to victims. The letters demand contracts and records showing how much money pardon recipients paid to lobbyists, lawyers, social media influencers, or others to sway Trump’s clemency decisions.

The stakes are high. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office found that Trump’s pardons wiped out nearly $2 billion in recovered funds from Medicare and tax fraud cases, as well as victim repayments. By pardoning these offenders, Trump effectively deprived victims of justice and compensation.

Representative Min told CBS News that failure to respond to the letters could make recipients targets for further congressional investigations or criminal prosecutions. He condemned the pardons as sending a dangerous message that the justice system can be bypassed with enough money or connections, highlighting the corruption at the heart of the Trump administration.

Among those under scrutiny are financial criminals like Changpeng Zhao, a cryptocurrency billionaire who pleaded guilty to money laundering, and Trevor Milton, convicted of securities and wire fraud for defrauding investors with his electric truck company Nikola. Milton, sentenced to four years in prison, also owed millions in restitution—debts wiped clean by Trump’s pardon.

Yet Democrats currently lack subpoena power in Congress, limiting their ability to compel testimony or documents. For now, these letters serve more as a public spotlight and warning shot. Meanwhile, Trump continues to collect favors and loyalty from those he has freed, cementing a corrupt cycle of pardons as rewards for allegiance and cash.

This investigation underscores how Trump’s abuse of the pardon power is not just a legal loophole but a weapon against accountability, enabling financial criminals to escape consequences while victims are left empty-handed. It is a stark reminder that under this administration, justice is for sale—and the price is loyalty or money.